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Ye tuneful Muses, Z344

Introduction

Ye tuneful Muses was written in 1686, most probably to celebrate the return of the Court from Windsor to Whitehall on 1 October. As the birthday of King James II fell on 14 October some scholars have suggested it is possible that the celebrations were combined, for the diarist Luttrell recorded that the birthday was ‘observed with great solemnity … the day concluded with ringing of bells, bonefires and a ball at Court’, but there is little in the text to suggest this was so. That anonymous author did however provide Purcell with a good libretto, full of variety and vivid material for compositional inspiration, especially in its references to music and musical instruments and, as ever, Purcell did not fail.

The fine opening Symphony is in the conventional two-section French style (which had itself originated in Italy), with the opening dotted section followed by a faster imitative triple-time movement. Two basses follow this with a rich duet, full of word-painting, linked to the first chorus by a short string ritornello. The section ‘Be lively then and gay’ is ingeniously based on the popular song ‘Hey boys, up go we’, and Purcell used its tune (to be found in The Dancing Master, 16th edition, 1686) first as the bass to the tenor solo, then as a counterpoint in the violins to the chorus, and then again as the bass to the dancing string ritornello which concludes the section. It is not known who was the bass singer for ‘In his just praise’ but he must have had a remarkable range of over two octaves which Purcell exploited to the full. The composer’s good humour continues, for in the next section the upper strings furiously play on all four of their open strings in response to the chorus’s exhortation ‘Tune all your strings’. The musical allegories continue in ‘From the rattling of drums and the trumpet’s loud sounds’ before we enter into a more gentle section ‘To music’s softer but yet kind and pleasing melody’ which is accompanied by two recorders. This leads into the jewel of the Ode ‘With him he brings’, sung at the first performance by the famous countertenor (and fine composer) William Turner. Over a wonderful four-bar ground bass the Queen’s beauty is praised, with especially delightful writing for ‘There beauty its whole artillery tries’, before the ground bass modulates up a fifth, and Purcell provides (as he does in so many of the Odes) a delicious string ritornello. The soprano duet ‘Happy in a mutual love’ which follows is delightful too, and the work ends with a lilting solo and elegantly harmonized chorus ‘Whilst in music and verse’.

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Ye tuneful Muses, raise your heads.
No longer droop and mourn,
Shake off that lethargy which has so long
Enfeebled all your nervous raptures of heroic song.
Phoebus, that did your breasts inspire,
At length vouchsafes his all-enliv’ning fire,
Again his pow’rful influence on you sheds;
Again the God, bereft of whose kind light,
So long you mourned the comforts of the day,
Has put a period to your fright,
And blest you with his joyful ray.
This point of time ends all your grief,
In bringing sacred Caesar it has brought relief.

In his just praise your noblest songs let fall,
And let ’em be immortal all,
Immortal as the fame he’s won,
The wonders he has in battles done,
In which he did no danger shun
But made his name co-lasting with the sun.
Try, try ev’ry strain,
Excite ev’ry vein,
Tune all your strings to celebrate
His so much wish’d return;
To welcome home the best of kings
And make him welcome as the general joy he brings.

From the rattling of drums and the trumpet’s loud sounds
Wherein Caesar’s safety and his fame abounds,
The best protectors of his royal right
’Gainst fanatical Jury and sanctified spite,
By which he glory first did gain,
And may they still preserve his reign.

With him he brings the partner of his throne,
That brighter jewel than a crown,
In whom does triumph each commanding grace,
An angel mien and matchless face.
There beauty its whole artillery tries,
Whilst he who ever kept the field
Gladly submits, is proved to yield
And fall the captive of her conquering eyes.

A favourite construction of Purcell’s, and one that he employs to good effect in several of the Odes, is that of a movement which begins with a ground bass and a solo voice (usually an alto), with the melody subsequently taken over and developed by the tutti strings. The Ode for the welcome of James II in 1686, Ye tuneful Muses contains one such gem, With him he brings the partner of his throne, where the alto is given a splendid solo, full of the best features of Purcell’s vocal writing. The orchestral entry is marked by a delicious modulation up a fifth, and then comes a typically inventive section of string writing.

With him he brings the partner of his throne,
That brighter jewel than a crown,
In whom does triumph each commanding grace,
An angel mien and matchless face!
There beauty its whole artillery tries,
Whilst he who ever kept the field
Gladly submits, is proved to yield
And fall the captive of her conquering eyes.

Happy in a mutual love
May they each other long possess,
May ev’ry bliss still greater prove,
And ev’ry care grow less;
May fate no revolutions bring,
But what may all serenely move,
Glorious as heaven from whence they spring
And gentle as its darling, Love.